"Well, George, we’ve knocked the bastard off."

RIP Sir Edmund Hillary. The quote above is what he told one of his colleagues when he returned to the foot of Everest after becoming the first person to climb it way back in 1953. Anyone who can get made into an honorary Tibetan is OK by me.

On a similar mountaineering-y note, there’s a pretty bad story on the BBC about a volunteer coastguard who’s quit after being investigated for not using safety equipment during a (successful) rescue. Part of me really can’t blame the guy. He’s done what he’s supposed to do – save a life. Had he followed protocol, gone to get his equipment and sorted all that out then the girl involved would likely have plummeted to her death.

He gets roundly thanked, nominated for an award… then investigated. Fuck ’em. And good on you Paul Waugh. The bastards don’t deserve you.

Who the hell is Sam Allerdyce? You were right to focus on the death of Hillary, although perhaps you should have mentioned that Sherpa ‘High’ Tension reached the summit with him. As for the other story, I certainly didn’t waste time getting safety equipment when I saved Dicky Dawkins from death in the Congo.